Scene and Unheard: Kingdom of the Holy Sun, Deafheaven, Half-Breed, Wimps, Children of Kids, and more!

On any given weekend in Seattle, there are a million amazing shows to see – from jazz sets at coffee shops and orchestras at theaters, to a grunge shows in DIY spaces and major touring acts at any of our larger venues. Maybe this weekend you want to try something new; maybe you heard one song by this small electronic, folk, grunge group that you heard on Audioasis or from a friend; or maybe you’re just tired of what you’ve been previously listening to. Luckily for you, the PNW is ripe with local acts who perform in our city every day. Because we love the amazing diversity of venues, art spaces, producers, bookers, musicians, and talent, we’re going to suggest a few. This week we recommend Kingdom of the Holy Sun at Chop Suey; an art show by Justin Duffus, Bennett Shatz, and Adam Boehmer at Cairo; DeafHeaven at El Corazon; The Pentagraham Cracker, Kitten Forever and Half-Breed at The Cockpit; Wimps, Satan Wriders, Dude York, and the Narx at Cairo; and Children of Kids and Bardo:Basho at Electric Tea Garden.

Wednesday July 10th:

Languid but not lazy, like a haze filled room full of opiate-philosophers, Kingdom of the Holy Sun is a band whose albums I continue to return to on those particularly warm days when having the window open doesn’t help. And their rippling drippy music usually induces me to actually go ahead and close the window, draw the curtain, and bask the hallucinogenic heat. Who needs actual nature when you can be transported to a magic desert of beautiful music and tripped out tumbleweeds through a single album? They will be joined by the less-than-languid Triple Sixes and the Brazilian female-fronted psychedelic rock outfit Fire Friend. More info here. Chop Suey, 8pm, 21+, $8.

Kingdom of the Holy Sun:

Triple Sixes:

Fire Friend:

Thursday July 11th:

Yes, this is a music column, but it’s also about amazing things happening that might not get the notice they deserve. This Thursday, Cairo is hosting Rough Cut, a gallery show by Justin Duffus, Bennett Shatz and Adam Boehmer. The show combines painted 2-dimensional works by Duffus with video installations Shatz, who recently graduated from UW with a degree from their DX arts program, and sculptural 3-dimentional works by Boehmer. While I’m not familiar with Shatz work, I have seen projects by DX art students and professors that range from works that interact with specific environments to projections that interact with their own creators. If you’re looking for something that’s all ages and imaginative, this opening is where you need to be this Thursday. More info here. Cairo, 7pm, all-ages.

Friday, July 12th:

Deafheaven only came onto my radar recently – perhaps as it should – by both reminding me of the overly emotional almost angsty music of my high school days, while totally surpassing anything I would have listened to at that point in my life. Guitars drip with bright pain – the kind you hear in shoegaze overlaps and reverb tidal waves – while the vocals crash louder than any symbol in a constant but breathtaking scream. Their recent album far surpassed what I would have expected from a band described as “shoegaze meets metal”, as they have seamlessly and triumphantly meshed the two. They will be joined by Sargent House Record’s post-punk trio Marriages as well as Heiress and Nostalgist. More info here. El Corazon, 8pm, all-ages, $12.

This weeks excellent indie-rock line-up is definitely stolen by The Cockpit. They’ve booked Salt Lake City’s Pentagraham Crackers as well as Minneapolis band Kitten Forever, both great garage-y bands. They will be supported by one of my quickly taking the lead as favorite bands Half-Breed, whose surfy-pop girlie harmony music with amiable lyrics about friends, boyfriends, non-boyfriends, and moments that are as excellent as a summer bike ride where you’re sweating a little bit but not too much and you’ve got alot of kind of silly thoughts on your mind. Supported by Le Cancer. More info here. The Cockpit, 9pm, all-ages, $5.

Sunday brings us the dreamy, looping pop music of Children of Kids, alongside labelmate and amazing ambient electronic mastermind Bardo:Basho, a.k.a. Kirsten Thom. Both bands are not just labelmates but also label managers, besides making amazingly diverse and well crafted music they help run CTPCK. Children of Kids has been on my to-see list for a while, as they find their way onto bills and posters around town. They will be performing alongside producer Justin Timbreline and Love Cop. Electronic Tea Garden, 9pm, 21+, $5.

3 Comments

I am a member of the band, Warning: Danger! We are playing the July 10th show at Chop Suey (the first show in this article). You didn’t have to say whether you like us or not, but why were we not even mentioned as being on the bill?